Janadriyah Festival Guide

The Janadriyah festival in Riyadh is an annually held cultural heritage festival of Saudi Arabia THIS GUIDE HAS BEENUPDATED FOR 2018 / 2019 schedules and visiting days for men and families.

The biggest cultural event of Saudi Arabia, the Janadriyah Cultural heritage festival is just around the corner! In this Blue Abaya guide you will find everything you need to know to attend the most important national festival for culture and heritage of Saudi Arabia.

In this Janadriyah festival guide you’ll find Janadriyah visiting hours, dates for family and single days, maps, location, directions, more festival guides, tips for parents and more.

For more Janadriyah updates, like & follow Blue Abaya on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

First of all, what exactly is the Janadriyah (Arabic: مهرجان الجنادرية) Heritage Festival?

Anannually held, cultural heritage and folk festival of Saudi-Arabia organized by the Saudi National Guard since 1985.

The Janadriyah village was built specifically to host this festival. This is the largest festival of its kind in the Gulf, attracting millions of visitors from all over the region each year. The festival was cancelled in 2015 due to the passing of King Abdullah. During Janadriyah of the previous year 2017, over 3 million people from all over Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries visited the festival.

Al Janadriyah village is divided into sections according to the provinces of Saudi Arabia. Each area, or pavilion as they are referred to as, showcases the unique culture, architecture, foods, dances, traditional dress and craftsmanship of that region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

33rd Janadriyah Festival will be held in the Al Janadriyah village on the outskirts of Riyadh starting on December 20th 2018

Entrance to Janadriyah Village is completely FREE of charge and everyone is welcome!

SCHEDULE and VISIT DAYS for 2018/2019 Janadriyah Festival as follows:

OPENING CEREMONY: December 20th 2018

MEN ONLY: Thursday 20th to Monday 24th December

FAMILIES AND WOMEN : Tuesday 25th December 2018 to 9th January 2019

UPDATE December 23rd 2018: everyone can visit the festival daily no more single and family days

Al Janadriyah Village is a huge area, covering over 1.5 sq km of land. It’s is divided into sections according to the different Provinces of Saudi Arabia such as: Jizan (Gazan), Asir, Riyadh, Hail, Tabuk, Eastern Province, Makkah, Medinah, Taif, Al Baha, Qassim, and Najran. Each Province area has buildings which are replicas of the architectural style typical to said region.

Each year there’s also visiting country at the festival and in 2018 Guest country is Indonesia. Indonesia will have their own cultural pavilion at Janadriyah.

In addition to the province areas, Janadriyah showcases also the largest governmental organizations such as National Guard Health affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Saudi Ports Authority, Saudi Tourism and Heritage and many others. Additionally various social projects, non profit organizations, private companies and charity foundations are present.

A Camel race track which hosts camel races during the first three days is also a part of the Janadriyah village.

Family days are when single women (either on their own or with their male family members) and married men with their families are allowed to enter.

Note that sometimes single males might be able to enter on family days accompanied with a tour group, by sticking with the group strictly at all times. The religious police are on the look-out for single males and all single males will be escorted out of the festival if found unaccompanied by family members. The Haia are very strict in particular with the Saudi youth, however expats might get some leeway in this matter.

Where is Janadriyah village located? How do I get there, is there a map of the area, or GPS co-ordinates?

The Janadriyah Village is located on Janadriyah Rd, opposite the Salwa Garden Village North of Riyadh, approximately 40 km from the city center. Further along the same road are the King Abdul Aziz Race track and Thumamah National Park. Three roads from Riyadh lead to Janadriyah. Check the Google map to see which one is closest to you and for driving directions. It takes about 30- 45 minutes from Riyadh city center to reach Janadriyah depending on the traffic. There’s no public transport available to the festival apart from taxis, they should all know the Janadriyah location.

Hello there, I’m Laura, the founder, author and manager of Blue Abaya, the first travel blog in Saudi Arabia established in 2010. Travel has always been my passion- so far I’ve visited 69 countries and I’m always on the lookout for new adventures inside and outside of Saudi Arabia! Having visited all corners of the Kingdom with over a decade of experience, I have a vast knowledge base about travel and tourism in Saudi Arabia.

I went there yesterday with a couple of expats and a Saudi friend. It was really nice and interesting ! People were extremelly friendly, we felt like my friends and I eventually were the second curiosity of the day, as people were mostly Saudi and insisted on taking pictures with us ;)
I would advise to go there with an Arabic speaker as all the signs are in Arabic. We stayed from 5pm to midnight, and could have easily stayed twice that time as there is really a lot to do !. Thanks for the article !ReplyCancel

Josephine pacsoy flordelizaFebruary 7, 2016 - 8:28 am

I just want to confirm if the festival is open during fridays… because that only time we can go. ThanksReplyCancel

Went last night for a few hours, and greatly enjoyed the experience. It was truly unique, even if we only had the opportunity to (barely) scratch the surface. Hoping to head back again prior to the 20th, but not sure it’ll pan out (due to the “family” environment the remainder of the time)

The one downside (for me) may have been the excessive attention I received (as a westerner). While the initial round of picture requests/practicing of English were fun, after a while the charm wore off and it became excessive and tiring. I certainly can understand their interest in me, as I stand out among the locals (based on size and complexion), but when I become weary of even making eye contact the experience begins to lose its luster.ReplyCancel

Hi Alan!
I was there too on Monday :) Were you by any chance at the camel races?

It can become a little but annoying when they keep coming up to you, but if you just try to show that you’re “moving along” smile and say salaam aleikum, they won’t get offended or anything.
Nowadays there’s plenty of westerners at the festival for Saudis to take pics with, compared to few years ago. I like to think this is partly due to years of promoting of Janadriyah through my social media channels and the guides on this blog of the festival which have encouraged more expats to visit:)ReplyCancel

First of all I would like to congratulate you on such a beautiful blog.
I share a vivid interest in travelling and photography, but unfortunately haven`t got much chance in saudi to intensify it.
I love your photographs so much.
I am planning to visit JAnadriyah 2016 and so please help me know if taking photographs is allowed in this festival by DSLR or mobile?
Have you ever heard anyone facing problems in Riyadh because of a camera?

Taking photos on Janadriyah is allowed, but please be mindful when photographing people and especially women. Most likely they will have no problem with it during this festival though, especially when it’s another female photographing them.
Enjoy!ReplyCancel

Dear Laura,
Fantastic.
I had been strugggling to find the scedule for this lovely festival which nobody in Riyadh should miss.
Thank you. Marie LouiseReplyCancel

TalalFebruary 5, 2018 - 10:07 pm

Hi Laura,

Thank you for this post and updates. My family and I tried to go last year but the traffic was so crazy and we couldn’t even reach the parking and had to leave. What time do you suggest we leave for the festival on a Friday or Saturday?

Thanks for all of the updated information on the festival. We love going and are excited to see it again this year. Do you know if there are any camel races open to families? I would love to see one!ReplyCancel

Nazeem SyedFebruary 5, 2018 - 10:34 pm

Thanks for the great info.
Eagerly waiting to visit this weekendReplyCancel

Hello
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